Page 266 of Scorched Earth

“That’s not a revelation. Once Thirty-Seventh, always Thirty-Seventh.”

The corner of Agrippa’s mouth turned up. “True, but that’s not what I meant. My elder brother is Tiberius Egnatius. Lydia tells me he’s a senator now.” His smile turned sly. “And married toyoursister.”

Surprise shook Marcus’s already shaken composure. “Pardon?”

“Her name is Cordelia Domitius, isn’t it? I always knew you must have come right from the top of the Hill.”

A sudden twinge of pain struck Marcus in his chest at the mention of Cordelia, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she’d say if she knew where he sat now. If she knew all the things he had done.Though protocol demanded otherwise, he found himself saying, “I’ve met him. Knowing you’re his blood explains his politics.”

“It’s the Bardenese in him. Rebel blood. How does your sister feel about that, good Cel woman that she is?”

“It was my impression that when Cordelia says ‘Jump,’ Tiberius asks, ‘How high?’”

“It seems that the penchant for giving orders is a Domitius trait.” Agrippa extracted an expensive bottle of Atlian wine from one of the cabinets and held it up. “Amarin still with you?”

Marcus tensed at the mention of his servant’s name. Gibzen had somehow seamlessly stepped into the role, taking on all of Amarin’s tasks. Always in Marcus’s presence, driving everyone else away. What had felt like loyalty now felt like something else, but all Marcus said was, “He’s around somewhere.”

Agrippa opened the bottle without asking, and drank straight from the neck. “Tastes like the Empire.”

Marcus rested his elbows on the table. “If it’s that bitter, it must be off.”

Agrippa laughed, then took another mouthful. “Good to see you haven’t been so corrupted that you’ve lost your sense of humor.”

Corrupted.

The choice of word was another blow to the walls in his mind, but Marcus only shrugged. “We’re already moving on to insults, then?”

“Seems fitting, given that you’ve allied with Rufina. Youdoknow that she’s corrupted, don’t you? Or does your Cel self refuse to acknowledge that there are powers in this world that can’t be explained by the collegium?”

“I’m aware of what the corrupted can do, as well as those possessed of the other god marks.”

Agrippa took another mouthful, his face darkening with anger. “Then why are you working with them? Because they promised you my wife’s gold mines, which are currently drowning in black pools of poison.”

Wife.So Agrippa was the consort Sly had mentioned, and as Marcus recalled the exchange, it struck him that Sly full-well knew Agrippa’s connection to the Thirty-Seventh and had withheld the information. “I’m not that stupid, Agrippa. Rufina has already delivered enough of Rotahn’s gold to pay for this campaign twice over. It’s back in Revat, and will very soon be on its way to Celendrial. Congratulations on your nuptials.”

“Thank you.” The corner of Agrippa’s mouth turned up. “So you’ve lowered yourself to a mercenary?”

The word turned Marcus’s mouth sour and he took a mouthful of wine. “None of that gold goes in my pocket. The gold was the Dictator’s goal, and I have achieved it. Now I move to achieve the rest.”

Agrippa made a noncommittal noise, then sat on the stool opposite Marcus, taking another mouthful of the wine. “What terms are you offering?”

“The usual,” Marcus said. “Mudamora and its allies, such as they are, must agree to surrender and lay down arms. All positions of authority are to be disbanded, and Mudamora’s queen, Kitaryia Falorn, also known as Lydia Valerius, is to be returned so that she might wed her betrothed, Dictator Lucius Cassius.”

“And by returned, you mean you’ll kill her?” Agrippa gave him a grin that was all teeth. “Third time’s the charm?”

He’s defending her!the voice shrieked, fueled by mention of Lydia.He’s no brother of yours!

Marcus shook his head. “Her fate is in the hands of the Dictator, not mine.”

“Except Lucius Cassius was the man who ordered you to murder Lydia in the first place. It would be all sorts of inconvenient if the Senate learned the real story behind her disappearance. Even more inconvenient if Senator Valerius learned the truth.” Agrippa laughed. “Oh wait, he already knows the truth because Teriana told him.”

“Is Teriana here?” The question slipped out, and Marcus silently cursed himself for allowing Agrippa to get to him.

“No, she had other business to attend to.” Agrippa grinned again and the gleam in his eyes told Marcus that whatever Teriana was up to, he would not like it.

Don’t think about her! She’s your enemy!

Marcus lifted one shoulder. “The life of one girl is of little consequence to the patricians of Celendrial in the face of all that they have to gain.”